Ohio’s House of Representatives left for the summer on Monday, reminding everyone of the Bard’s adage that “sound and fury” means nothing, after further dithering on property-tax reform.
The GOP majority in the House only overrode one item in Republican Governor Mike DeWine’s new 2025–2027 state budget, House Bill 96.
The goal of the budget, which was approved by the House and Senate, was to prohibit property-tax jargon that may falsely suggest that certain planned levies—such as replacement or emergency levies—would not increase the real estate taxes that property owners would be required to pay.
According to DeWine, he eliminated that budgetary provision because school districts use [these kinds of] levies as crucial instruments to preserve their long-term financial stability. In order to guarantee that this important issue receives the attention it deserves, the DeWine-Tressel Administration will organize a working group of lawmakers, agency representatives, school administrators, community members, and property tax specialists.
The governor then established a Property Tax Reform Working Group and named former U.S. Representative Pat Tiberi, a suburban Columbus Republican who serves as the president and CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable, and former state Representative William G. Seitz, a suburban Cincinnati Republican recently appointed to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, as its co-chairs.
By a vote of 61 in favor and 28 against, the Ohio House overrode DeWine’s veto of that property tax measure.Out of the 62 Republicans in the House, 61 voted to override, which required 60 votes. The override was opposed by one Republican, Rep. Scott Oelslager of North Canton, who previously served as the chair of the Finance Committee, which writes the budget.
Reps. Cindy Abrams of suburban Cincinnati’s Harrison and Sharon Ray of Wadsworth, as well as former Speaker Jason Stephens of Kitts Hill, Lawrence County, were not present.
Under the leadership of Cincinnati’s Minority Leader Dani Isaacson, every House Democrat in attendance voted against the override. Representatives Munira Abdullah of Columbus, Rachel Baker and Karen Brownlee of Cincinnati, Chris Glassburn of North Olmsted, Lauren McNally of Youngstown, Joe Miller of Amherst, and former Minority Leader Allison Russo of Upper Arlington were among the seven Democrats who did not attend.
Will Ohio homeowners’ mounting property-tax burden be lessened by last week’s veto override? No. It was also notable that Speaker Matt Huffman, a Republican from Lima who is regarded by many observers as the head of the House, failed to secure the votes required for any additional veto overrides last week.
You have to wonder what the fight card may look like in 2027, when Upper Arlington Republican Vivek Ramaswamy might have succeeded DeWine, if a Republican Ohio House can hardly defeat a weak governor.
The small-town Republicans in Ohio’s General Assembly are unlikely to divert Ramaswamy, a Cincinnati native on a never-ending journey to the White House.
In the General Assembly, like so many other Southeast Ohioans of both parties, former state representative Jack Cera, a Democrat from Bellaire, worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the people and communities of Appalachian Ohio. He passed away from cancer on July 13 at the age of 69.
Cera was a member of the House of Representatives for Ohio from 1983 to 1996 and again from 2011 until 2020. Despite graduating from Brown University, an Ivy League school, he never lost sight of his roots or the men and women of his hometown.
From Athens, editorial board member Thomas Suddes writes.
Thomas Suddes can be reached at [email protected].
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